Wedding venue negotiations

CLL

Hi,

Am going that someone may be able to shed some light in what we can negotiate into our wedding package?

Our venue is offering a €65 pp package which includes, welcome drinks, 4 course meal, sound equipment for speeches etc, food for afters, bridal suite for the wedding night, 1/2 bottle of wine p/p...
What is the norm when it comes to negotiating? We anticipate big numbers attending- 150 for the day and an extra 50 for the evening so will be spending a lot of money...ouch!
Can we ask for more rooms to be thrown into the package? Upgrade the wine from the house to a better bottle?

Any tips would be much appreciated:)

Moonbeam

Are you having it in winter? on a weekday?
I would also ask for more bedrooms and make sure you get your own for 2 nights.

CLL

Moonbeam wrote: »

Are you having it in winter? on a weekday?
I would also ask for more bedrooms and make sure you get your own for 2 nights.

Thanks for responding moonbeam.
We are having the wedding on a Saturday next April...we are very restricted with dates hence deciding on the most pricey day to get married!
Will certainly ask for additional rooms.
9 of our guests are children (including our own 2)- do we pay for children's places or get a reduced rate?
Any help hugely appreciated!

Thanks again

Moonbeam

You get a reduced rate for children,I think we had 23 children at ours and the little ones were charged kids rate and the older ones a discounted rate as there was no wine etc.

On a Saturday it is harder to negotiate but tell them exactly what you want and mix and match what they have available and aim to pay their lowest price.

Make sure canapes,evening food etc is included and do no be afraid to ask for better then they offer.

flikflak

Rate for children should be in the package details. If not then ask for it.

Maybe you can decide you dont need a few things from the package and tailor it more to your needs? For example a lot of these places include things like red carpet and chair covers. If you dont want these then maybe ask to replace them with something you would value more.

solerina

It depends on the venue, we are paying 70pp and having over 200 people (Saturday in October).This package includes all the usual stuff (chair covers, sashes, drinks on arrival-sparkling wine, Heineken with canapés etc....5 course meal, star light back drop, rooms for both parents and 2 nights for us, children are 25 pp for half adults meal or childrens meal, afters food, bar extension, half bottle of wine pp, fresh flowers on tables)....there was no room to negotiate, it was take it or leave it, but we were happy with it as they are very efficient for weddings

conf101

solerina wrote: »

It depends on the venue, we are paying 70pp and having over 200 people (Saturday in October).This package includes all the usual stuff (chair covers, sashes, drinks on arrival-sparkling wine, Heineken with canapés etc....5 course meal, star light back drop, rooms for both parents and 2 nights for us, children are 25 pp for half adults meal or childrens meal, afters food, bar extension, half bottle of wine pp, fresh flowers on tables)....there was no room to negotiate, it was take it or leave it, but we were happy with it as they are very efficient for weddings

Mind if I ask where you're having it?

clint_silver

Im going to say 150 is not big PLUS youre a few months away so you really expect 10-20% attrition rate as the date gets nearer. (noone tells you this)

I'll also say as someone who works at 80-90 weddings a year, the most amount of people Ive ever seen walk into the afters I think was 10. night after night I see "afters busses" turn up with 3 people in them. If you think you're having 50, think again.

Negotiations are completely dependant on the venue. I know 2 venues off the top of my head that charge 65 but thats their rock bottom and wont negotiate on it at all. Other venues might have their opening price at 65, expecting you to negotiate so they build wiggle room into it. You can but ask both for extras and reduction. All they can say is no, theres no set rule to say "well, hotel X is doing Y and Z for the same price". If youre at a hotel that is doing 250-280 weddings a year, they can afford to say "well go and have your wedding there then, our price is 65".

solerina

clint_silver wrote: »

Im going to say 150 is not big PLUS youre a few months away so you really expect 10-20% attrition rate as the date gets nearer. (noone tells you this) QUOTE]

Be careful assuming this.....we invited 236, we have 215 supposed to sit for dinner, we expected to have under 200 !!!:D

lazygal

Don't cut back too much would be my advice. We've been to weddings where the couples boasted of wrangling 'great deals' out of venues but it showed on the day with really cheap wine and skimpy food. Another venue's bar prices were seriously bumped up because of the hard bargain the couple had negotiated - the talk at the table at dinner was the eye watering price of pints and shorts.
I'd try to get more for your money, maybe extra servings of food on arrival and for the afters guests you're asking, more wine and other drinks on arrival and with dinner, rooms for the bridal party.
As someone else said, 150+50 isn't a huge wedding - I'd say its average/small and if its a popular venue with bookings for weddings most weekends they'll have a bottom line they won't cross, no matter what level of hardball you play.
I don't see things like chair covers and red carpets being dropped to reduce a price per head to be honest-they cost the venue so little to put on that the price for them wouldn't really affect a package deal. Our venue was upfront about things like that, they said we can drop them but it wouldn't bring the cost of food/corkage down.

clint_silver

solerina wrote: »

clint_silver wrote: »

Im going to say 150 is not big PLUS youre a few months away so you really expect 10-20% attrition rate as the date gets nearer. (noone tells you this) QUOTE]

Be careful assuming this.....we invited 236, we have 215 supposed to sit for dinner, we expected to have under 200 !!!:D

236 invited 215 to sit. Only 1 more couple to pull out and you get inside my forecasted range of 10-20%